French M.P.s, worried that France has become a nation of old people, have voted two measures to boost the nation's birth rate.
One measure is that the French baguette is to be enhanced with an aphrodisiac substance, while V.A.T. is to be slapped on packets of condoms.
The French authorities have not revealed how they will turn an ordinary baguette loaf into a powerful aphrodisiac, but an anonymous source told journalists that it will be done by adding a very ordinary domestic herb to the dough.
Said the source: "The herb's aphrodisiac potency was detected when 61 pregnant patients of a general practitioner's 65 female patients had reported to him that they had eaten the herb in the hour which had preceded the intimacy that had caused their pregnancy. They spoke of great sexual activity after having eaten the herb."
The herb was then tested on rats which had resulted in Paris's rat population of a rat per Parisian tripling within weeks.
As far as adding V.A.T. to condoms, the French Ministry of Health would only say that the price of a packet of condoms will depend on how many condoms there are in a packet and what size, color and flavor the condoms are. For example, in the spring strawberry-flavored condoms will cost less than they would in the middle of the winter, while in the winter orange-flavored condoms will be cheapest.